What is more successful -- Counting calories or Weight Watchers Point system?

Hi everyone! Maybe someone could give me advice...

I'm back at caloriecount.com after a year away and I'd like to get serious again about losing about 15-20 lbs. Has anyone tried the Weight Watchers Point system? I have done WW in the past, but I'm wondering which is easier, Counting calories or using Points. Any help is welcomed. Thanks!

My mum did weight watchers, and I count calories.

I've lost 40lbs, and my mum has lost significantly less - mostly because at the meetings they often say there are some foods "you can eat as much as you like" of, which didn't work for her ;)

I recommend counting calories on here, too, as its easier to see where you are, as well as more fun to treat yourself if you have spare calories :) (Currently I'm having a nice glass of red for mine :D Yum :))

 

I've done both.  I've lost 40 lbs on WW counting points, but put it all back on again as soon as i stopped counting points.  I never "really" learned how to eat healthy because I didn't look at total nutrition, just the points.

 

With CC, I'm now learning to look at total nutrition.  So, if you're just counting calories, you might be missing out.  If you look at the total nutrition, you'll be fine.

 

I've been on CC for a couple of months now & low 20 pounds so far.  I'm finding it just as easy as the points, but with a better nutrition accountability.

 

I would highly recommend CC over WW.

I'm in Weight Watchers right now, and I'm counting calories, rather than counting points.  It seems to me that the point conversion just adds unnecessary math to my life.  Also, Weight Watchers seems to give very little point credit for work outs. 

I joined WW for the accountability and peer group, and those two aspects have helped me lose weight.  But I'm going to keep counting calories, rather than points.

I did WW about 4 years ago and lost 20 lbs.  I kept it off, but got on CC when I was worrying that I didn't REALLY know how to eat healthily, like laura says.  I've lost almost 20 more pounds.  I like CC better because it's so straightforward and easy.

The ONLY diet that's ever worked for me was weight watchers, so naturally I'm a huge supporter of it.  I've been trying CC now for about 2 months and have actually gained weight...I think mostly though because I have absolutely no accountability other than to myself.  It'd be nice to have have to report yourself to someone.  Otherwise there are no repercussions for overoding it on the weekends as I tend to do with the beers and such!

I find it easier to do CC becuase like said above I end up with some extra calories to enjoy at the end of the day so I'm going to stick it out for the rest of the year and give it a chance.  I mean I've only heard since I can remember, fewer calories in, more calories spent=weight loss.  They can't all be wrong!

I lost 75 lb in 2004 using the WW points system (but not actually signing up or going to meetings as (1) I'm cheap and (2) I'm not too much into the group thing).

I put 20 lb back on over the last two years as I moved in with my boyfriend and he does most of the cooking...and isn't good at portion control or losing the butter, etc.

I tried going back to the points system, but one thing I have found is that if you do a lot of exercise (I do), it can put you into too large a calorie deficit.  Food eaten "costs" roughly 50 calories per point (formula is points = calories/50 + fat g/12 - fiber g/4 with a max of 4 g fiber) while you need 100 calories worth of exercise to "buy" a point.

That works well if you are only, say going for a 1/2 hour walk a day since most people underestimate food intake and overestimate calories burned, but if you are doing serious exercise, it doesn't seem to work.

That said, it is worth thinking about how many points a food is as knowing that a single smallish slice of pizza is 9 points and more than a 1/3 of your daily allowance can make you think twice about that as a regular food choice.  Having the "points" as a frame of reference is great for me.

The best approach is probably that of the member (forgot the name) who is going to the WW meetings and counting calories through here.

I did Weight Watchers a while back and it didn't work for me. I know the points are supposed to help keep you from overeating and what not, but the weekly allowance of an additional 35 just made me eat all the extra points on one day. I also felt like I was starving with my measly daily points target of 19. CC has been way easier for me to lose weight with. I say forget Weight Watchers and stick with CC.

I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and have regained my weight twice after losing 90+ pounds both times.  Once because I remarried and became complacent.  The second time because of health issues.  I had kept it off 5 years the first time so I certainly gained a lot of knowledge and I truly did not know how to eat correctly before Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers is a fantastic plan but you have to remember so much with the points that it really does consume your life.  You can join online and enter your food similiar to this but you have to pay a monthly fee for that also.  In my case when I started having health issues and started to gain I just felt like a failure going and paying and not losing weight.  There isn't a lot of accountability on CC but I think the support far surpases Weight Watchers because you can get it on a daily basis and for FREE!!!  I'm not saying I'd never return to Weight Watchers but I want something that will always fit into my life and I'm hoping that this is it. 

I think WW is a great program but it gets expensive. I love CC because it's free and I love all the bells and whistles available using the site. My biggest proplem with WW was journaling. Sure you do the same with CC but so far I think it's a little easier for me. I don't miss getting up on Saturday morning, besides our grp leaders would change so often it wasn't worth going.  

I have been counting calories for a couple years now and have never done WW but I've had family members who went on WW points system and they liked it. I know that I wouldn't. Counting calories is so straight-forward and simple. I just don't want to complicate it with points equations. I think WW points system does have a tendency to cause you to eat too little. People have a lot of success on WW points but it's difficult to ever wean off of it. I guess the same could be said about calorie counting but the nice thing is that nutritional information is ever-increasing in availability and that means you can just keep a mental log of your caloric intake pretty easily.

I'm sure once you learn the points equation, you can figure most things pretty easily, but for me, it's just extra work to achieve the same goal.

I have never been on weight watchers, but I have friends who have and it's never really lasted for them. I think the main thing is, WW is hard to keep up long term. I mean, you know the point values for certain things and can calculate it, but then if you go somewhere new or find a new food, then who knows?

Here at least you can figure out the calories and nutritional value period, and remember the value of the basic foods you always eat. I don't know, it just seems simple to me here, and it's free, so no worries about that.

I prefer Calorie count because I basically can eat whatever I want.  I got annoyed at how hard WW dinged me for high fat content.  If I want a slice of pizza, I'll have it, along with a salad and then just eat a little less for my other meals.  I hated the way that slice would be 1/3 of my daily points but only 250 calories (estimating here, but you get my point.)

IMO, i think they're the same

WW takes into account things besides cals tho
but either way you have a set number you dont go over

counting seems to be easies tho, once again IMO

Thanks for the input guys! This just proves to me that CC is where I really need to be. I've tried WW probably 5 different times and it never really took. At least with CC I get instant advice from people who are REAL. Thanks again!!!

I have done weight watchers probably 4 or 5 times over the years (10 years) and I have lost some weight, but ultimately kept quitting because of the cost. What would then happen is I would pile it back on again and then some!

I joined again last year mainly for the support network- which is useful. I lost maybe 10 pounds before reaching an expensive plateau!!! I was told I wasnt losing because I wasnt eating enough- at the time I was about 300 pounds and had about 30 points allowance, I was using about half of those. I stuck to the plan rigidly for a week, eating my 30 points (which was A LOT) and PUT ON 5 pounds in a week, and then 2 more the week after.

That said, I do have PCOS, and have to eat less calories than someone else would of the same height/weight to shift the pounds. So it boils down to each individual really. CC is free, and you can get constant support-not just once a week. Since quitting weight watchers I have lost 60 pounds!!!

I only lost about 10 pounds while on the ww point system, i have defintely lost more calorie counting.  But also i was pregnant at the time and didn't know it so the WW points system may have worked for me if i had not been pregnant.  So i haven't been back to the points system since i quit sometime in 2007 so i can't really say i wouldnt have lost more with it.  But to me portion control is the key.

 

 

Clarice

well, I'm doing both.. counting points & calories, and doing great ;3
good luck :]

~

I've also done both weight watchers and calorie count.  I kept a log with both on a week to week timeline of how much weight I lost.  I lost the weight on weight watchers a little quicker ( 6 pounds over 20 weeks)- lost 36 on weight watchers as opposed to 30 on calorie count for the same time period- of course I'm also 8 yrs older now and don't know how much is metabolism.

I like calorie counters better- not a big deal to throw in what you eat every day and there's no trying to convert things into points.  I also like to read the forums on just what interest me rather than paying to go to a meeting and not necessarily feel that the topics pertained to me.

AND...I felt like I was being punished fo losing weight on weight watchers.  Your points allowed kept dropping as you lost weight- somehow it didn't quite feel fair :(

Having about 100 lbs to lose I tried CC a while back and started to loss weight ok. 

My problem was keeping up with the motivation part.  I started using WW and going to meetings.  I swear, the meetings will be what does it for me I just know it.  I've stuck to the program for 6 weeks now (longer then I've been able to in the past) and the motivation is as strong as ever because of the meetings. 

I go with a friend so I feel accountable to her as well as the meeting leader.  It's not so much what she say's in the meeting...it's the stepping on the scale in front of her and basking in the praise of my weekly loss!

I use CC ever day to help me figure out my points and I find these forums so useful (total bonus that it FREE).  So for me it's a combination of both programs that works at turning me into a ....

BIG    FAT    LOSER  !!!!!  Yaaah! 

No, you got it wrong, you are a LESS FAT LOSER.  LOL

Anyway, the meeting thing helps me too, but I go to TOPS, which is a lot cheaper, $24 per year and $1 per week.  I debated doing Weight Watchers, but the cost is so much higher I decided to go this way, and it has worked well.  I lost when I joined, then quit going to meetings and gained, then started going back to meetings and I"m working on losing what I gained and getting to my final goal.

 

 

Original Post by dslettede:

Having about 100 lbs to lose I tried CC a while back and started to loss weight ok. 

I go with a friend so I feel accountable to her as well as the meeting leader.  It's not so much what she say's in the meeting...it's the stepping on the scale in front of her and basking in the praise of my weekly loss!

I use CC ever day to help me figure out my points and I find these forums so useful (total bonus that it FREE).  So for me it's a combination of both programs that works at turning me into a ....

BIG    FAT    LOSER  !!!!!  Yaaah!